


How Could I Ignore You? (Trust Me I Adore You)

by CreatingViolet



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, F/M, either way its juke with a LOT of friendly input, kind of, really its 4+1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27070015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreatingViolet/pseuds/CreatingViolet
Summary: It's the way she casually said "I spent all weekend writing songs with Luke" like there was nothing else she would be doing. Like it's what she was meant to do. His name came up so often, but so naturally, in the way that just happens after you spend a lot of time with someone.Also known as, four times people saw the connection between Julie and Luke, and one time they did.
Relationships: Alex & Flynn & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Alex & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 10
Kudos: 120





	How Could I Ignore You? (Trust Me I Adore You)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I've literally not written any fanfiction since like 2017, but somehow the stars aligned and here I am, falling back into the fandom hole I'd managed to escape thus far. Not that I'm complaining, it's a pretty good fandom. Apologies if anyone feels OOC, it's been a while.
> 
> The fic is mostly canon compliant. I've taken a few creative liberties, but nothing that would mess up the universe. Let me know what you think, all feedback is much appreciated :)

#### One

Reggie knew he wasn't always the brightest one in the bunch.

He knew his primary role in the group was to be the good-hearted comic relief, and he wasn't mad about it. If he's honest, he loved it. He wasn't as emotionally intelligent as Alex, or as quick-witted as Luke, but that didn't mean he noticed _nothing_. It just... took a bit longer sometimes. In his defence though, he noticed this pretty early on. It was hard not to.

To say Reggie had been 'spending time' with Ray _too much_ was an understatement. When Julie was at school, Reggie was watching bad reality TV with Ray. When Alex was out with Willie, Reggie accompanied Ray to photoshoots. When Luke got into his 'leave me alone I'm writing' moods, Reggie 'helped' Ray with dinner, putting lids back onto forgotten containers, or finding misplaced cutlery and putting it in his direct eye-line. The list goes on. Over time, he'd gotten much more emotionally invested in Keeping Up with the Kardashians than he'd care to admit, and also learned an unbelievable amount of information about cameras. Who would've guessed that Reggie would one day be able to explain what 'Aperture' and 'ISO' was? He certainly wouldn't have, but now he could. Maybe being dead wasn't so bad. At the very least, it's something his own dad wouldn't have been able to teach him. Although Ray couldn't see him, or even know he was there, something about it was comforting. He couldn't explain it, but he'd take what he could get. 

Sometimes, he'd see a much more vulnerable side to Ray. When it didn't feel too intrusive, he'd listen to him talk to Julie's mom. He'd occasionally sit at the piano in the studio, but mostly he'd walk around, pacing while talking, like he was taking in his surroundings all over again, or looking for something just out of reach. In these moments, Reggie observed, silent. Often, it would just be a retelling of his day, and Reggie didn't mind. It felt like listening to someone read your favourite book out loud. Although you already knew what happened, you didn't mind hearing it again. Not that Reggie read a lot, but he could imagine. Sometimes, he'd look up and catch Ray looking in his direction, but past him. Nonetheless, he could see the love in his expression, a look that he painfully remembered slipping away from his parents' eyes over the years. He didn't like to think about that too often. He was over it, he had to be, but still, it caught him off-guard when he'd first seen it in a long time. He tried to remember when he last had, but couldn't. He knew there was a distant memory that rattled around in his brain, but it just didn't come to him. Was it a Christmas? A birthday? He couldn't pinpoint it, anyway. 

He could pinpoint the moment he _next_ saw it, though. Maybe he should've seen it sooner than he did, but it was still pretty early on for Reggie's track record. It wasn't easy to miss. Unlike with his parents, he could remember this vividly. He was playing bass the best he ever had up until that point, and they were rocking the stage with 'Finally Free'. There was something about Julie and the Phantoms that Sunset Curve had been missing, and none of them could deny it. Julie made them better. They'd reached the moment where Luke would join her at the mic, singing the bridge quietly and intimately, in a more 'call and response' way. It didn't exactly click until Julie sang "You're a part of me" in her beautiful, high voice, and Luke repeated those words back to her, looking at her like she was the only one in the room, with much more sincerity in his voice than Reggie had ever heard during their rehearsals. A glance at Luke's expression immediately brought him back to when he'd watch Ray talk to Julie's mom, and from that moment onwards, he knew his friend was head over heels for their band member. There wasn't anything he could do but look back to see if Alex noticed it too, and he obviously had. Truth be told, he was happy for him. Happy for them. Under any other circumstances, he may have realised it wasn't the best idea, you know, with the whole being dead thing, but when they performed he just felt so much more _alive_ than he ever had, and for a second he forgot that they were ghosts and not just normal teenagers. So when Julie sang her final line, Reggie snuck one more glance at Luke. He clearly thought no one was watching him ('why would they when Julie was singing like that?') and the lovesick expression crept back onto his face. He was in awe of her, and Reggie knew.

Luke deflected _hard_ when Reggie brought up their chemistry.

He should've known that he would, but let the man be optimistic. It was kind of his whole thing. He didn't bring it up to make fun of Luke. Really, it was just a way to cheer Alex up. He knew it would get his mind off of Willie, and then also bring forth a discussion that was long overdue. A 'kill two birds with one stone' approach. See? Reggie had his moments. When Luke sang the chorus to 'Edge of Great' inches from his own face, he couldn't work out whether the boy was just oblivious or willingly ignorant, so he played along. Sure, he had chemistry with everyone he sang with, but he didn't look at them the way he looked at Julie. That moment during 'Finally Free' (and every other performance, if he looked back) was paralleled only by Ray's expression in the studio, and Reggie realised he learned more about love from Ray than he ever had before.

Things weren't always clear for Reggie, but it was pretty clear what Luke felt.

* * *

#### Two

It's not like she didn't see this coming - she definitely did.

When it came to Julie Molina, it's safe to assume that Flynn wasn't too far away. One could call them 'Batman and Robin', but they both knew that neither one could be classed as a sidekick. Their personalities were far too bold and great for that to be the case. The two stuck together like glue, close since elementary, and then inseparable once Carrie had ditched them for 'bigger and better' things in middle school, forming a bond that only grew stronger - initially from sheer spite, then organically. Unlike Carrie, Flynn was there for everything. She was there to see Julie's 7th birthday, and 8th, and 9th, 10th and so on. She watched her love of music grow, the first time she performed, the first crush (and subsequent heartbreak).

She was there when Julie's mom died. 

It's easy to say that was the most difficult year in their friendship. Not only was it hard to see her best friend mourning, but on top of that, she'd lost her voice, a coping mechanism she'd practically had since the day she was born. It's what had gotten her through tough times before: Carrie, the few and far in between fights with Flynn, the aforementioned 'heartbreak'. Flynn knew just how important music was to her, from the moments she'd hum quietly in class when she thought no one could hear, to when she'd sing her heart out on their school stage, with nothing but pure, infectious joy radiating off of her. When Julie performed, everyone could _feel_ her love for it, and just how much she belonged in front of an audience. So, of all the things that could've happened because of her mom's passing, the most shocking was Julie's choice to shut music out.

It shouldn't have been, really. Music was a direct link to her mom, and therefore a constant reminder that she wasn't there anymore. All the nights they shared the piano bench and wrote songs together, some of her most precious memories, were now tainted by the fact that they could never do that again - ever. And it tore her apart. It was only logical that Julie distanced herself from it, because that tricked her into thinking it hurt less, but that didn't make it any less unnatural. She just wasn't Julie without her piano, or her lyrics, or her incredible voice. Silence replaced the cheerful classroom humming, and she could hardly look at a stage, let alone step on it without the indescribable urge to throw up. Flynn tried absolutely everything to get her back to being herself, ever the problem solver, before she realised that she just needed to be a shoulder to lean on (or cry on). She was there for her through every stage of grief and every restless night, in every way that she needed, but it broke her heart to see Julie fear a part of herself that she still so clearly loved.

When Julie was kicked out of the music program, Flynn thought she might have a heart attack. Just because she was mostly level headed, rational and intuitive beyond her years, didn't mean she didn't overthink, and she may have spiralled. Just a little. Okay, a lot. She'd had enough of Julie getting out of what she was born to do and, full of liquid (soda) courage, marched her way down to confront her. This was the last straw. As much as she was there for her friend's grieving period, she wasn't going to let that impact her future. She was a better friend than that. When Julie said she'd just sang again, relief coursed through her veins like it never had before, as well as pride and excitement and every other positive feeling under the sun. When she said it was her mom's song that brought her back to music, that feeling of pride just grew. For a second, she forgot to feel sad that despite her previous efforts to get Julie back to music, she wasn't the one to do so. Then, she was just glad that she was moving on, and finally getting better.

However, when she saw Julie perform 'Bright', the happiest she'd looked in a very long time, with three random guys she'd never even heard of before, she was kind of hurt. She knew she didn't exactly have any right to be, but after an emotionally tiring year of racking her brain for a way to get Julie back to performing and coming up short, she was frustrated that three strangers helped her find her love for music, but her best friend couldn't. She knew she would've let it slide after a simple explanation, but then Julie _lied._ If there's one thing they never did, it's lie to each other. And when you see your best friend has very attractive bandmates, particularly her duet partner who she'd shared intense eye-contact with, it's bound to raise a few questions.

After the, accurately described, crazy explanation was given, she could see why Julie was hesitant, and she knew she'd been a bit too hard on her. She accepted the apology and everything was back to normal. Only it wasn't, but it was. They just had ghost friends now. Cute ghost friends, but still _ghost_ friends. To be fair, crazier things could've happened, and it wasn't exactly an unwelcome development if her best friend was happy. This was roughly the time when Flynn's infamous 'Julie Intuition' kicked in. She should've known just how important these guys were from the second they'd stepped, well 'poofed', on stage with her, but excuse her for being a bit busy planning the perfect way to egg a house. Why dwell on the past?

Flynn scrutinised Luke from the second she saw him singing in Julie's microphone, looking at her like that, and then continued to when he'd asked her to join 'their' band. After she agreed with Flynn that it was actually her's, the dopey, incredulous smile he gave her sent alarm bells going off in her head, but she didn't know Luke. If there's one thing she did know, it's Julie, and they told each other everything. 'Flying Solo' was a pretty accurate description of their friendship, believe it or not, and they definitely knew each other's 'Deep Dish'. For the longest time, the subject of that had been Nick, like a recurring character in a TV show. It didn't matter how long he left for, he'd always come back. Every few days, Julie would be going off on a spiel about "Flynn, I know he's with Carrie, but...". It could be his performance in music, or his smile, or how he was a "sweetheart". It really could be anything ("he looked at me in math and I nearly passed out"), but either way, Flynn would be hearing about it.

Lately, there'd been a shift. She'd heard about Nick less and less. Interestingly, but not really surprisingly, she started speaking more about a certain other guitar-playing boy. If she didn't know better, she'd say Julie had a type. These conversations were different, though. Nick was something she'd admired from afar, like a Monet painting where she didn't really look at the details, but Luke was a normality. She didn't speak about him because she wanted to imagine 'what ifs', but because he was so integral to her day-to-day life now. It's the way she casually said "I spent all weekend writing songs with Luke", like there was nothing else she would be doing. Like it's what she was meant to do. His name came up so often, but so naturally, in the way that just happens after you spend a lot of time with someone. It wasn't her fantasising about what she _could've been_ doing, but something she just _did_.

If Flynn was any less observant, she might've not even noticed. Sure, it was obvious. Very obvious. Especially when they sang. But it wasn't the same as before. It was no secret Julie had seen Nick through rose-tinted glasses, and while there isn't anything 'bad' about him, no one's perfect. He had flaws like everyone else, but Julie didn't exactly find the need to look for them. Her attraction to Nick was very surface-level. It hit Flynn while they were sitting on the grass outside their school for lunch - the second time they were talking about Luke's fascination (nosiness) with her dream box.

"I swear, he doesn't understand what boundaries are. I could look up the dictionary definition for 'privacy', read it out for him like a dramatic monologue, and I'd still find him - forearm deep - raking through my stuff within the next ten minutes! He drives me up the wall, sometimes."

And despite everything she just said, she smiled. Not only did she smile, she started to laugh, like the mental image of Luke invading her privacy in such a manner was so ridiculous that she just couldn't not laugh about it. Flynn soon joined in, and Julie started to laugh harder because of Flynn, and eventually the two were doubled over in a fit of giggles. After they recovered, the conversation moved on, but Flynn was stuck on that moment. It stuck out to her how easily Julie recognised that Luke was flawed, and how _fondly_ she reacted to those flaws, like she didn't enjoy his company despite them, but also because of them. Julie didn't really see anything out of the ordinary, but why would she? She's just poking fun at a 'friend'. Flynn knew better than that, and Julie could ignore it all she wants but it wasn't going anywhere.

She waited a little to confront her. If she was honest, she was sad to do it. The one time Julie develops real feelings for someone and they happen to _not_ be real. What are the odds? She knew she had to, whether it was her protective side speaking or her common sense, she wasn't sure, but it had to be done. She didn't want her to be hurt again, and she knew that, realistically, there's no way they could work, so maybe it was both. After reminding her a million times to be careful and that he was literally a ghost and therefore out of her reach, she knew there was nothing else she could do to stop her. The second time they'd spoken though, it seemed she had gotten the message. The way she dodged Luke during 'Edge of Great' looked effortless to an outsider, but Flynn knew. She held her hand in reassurance when Julie reached out, grinning at her in a 'see, Jules? I told you that you could do this' fashion. However, she hadn't really considered the 'Luke' variable, until then. How on Earth was she supposed to predict that he'd come out from behind his mic with his damn guitar solo and draw her right back in? She'd kill him if he wasn't already dead. He knew exactly what he was doing as he shared the mic with her for the outro, even if he hadn't yet figured out why he did that past the 'good performance' aspect (which Flynn had a sneaking suspicion he didn't, or didn't want to believe at the very least).

Again, it's not like Flynn didn't see this coming - she definitely did - but oh god. Her best friend was in trouble, wasn't she?

* * *

#### Three

Nick had gotten used to having Julie as a presence in his life.

As much as Carrie didn't like her (he didn't exactly know why, either), it was hard not to. She was kind, funny and easy-going. Some days, particularly after a pretty rough fight, he'd think about how Julie was all the things Carrie wasn't. He knew that wasn't fair on her, and so he'd catch himself, because he knew he saw a side to Carrie that most people didn't. She had her redeeming qualities. That didn't mean it wasn't still difficult. The most accurate way to describe her would be to say that there were two sides to her. Carrie was high maintenance, there's no doubt about it, but she protected the things she cared about fiercely. Nick happened to be one of those things, or at least he liked to think he was. So, it wasn't all bad. If it was, he wouldn't be with her.

When Julie got her voice back, things with Carrie somehow got _harder._ Carrie was talented, and she knew it, but she didn't like competition. The nights she used to watch movies with Nick were replaced by extra rehearsals, and all he heard about day in and day out was 'Julie this' and 'Julie that' and he just couldn't take it anymore. She seemed to care more about some stupid rivalry than she did about him, so he ended things. It might've been impulsive, but he didn't realise how relieved he felt until after it happened.

That's when he started spending more time with Julie. It also helped that they were dance partners. She was easy to be around, there were no trick questions, or hidden meanings behind her words. Julie was exactly what it said on the tin. He liked their friendship. If he knew what kind of person she was, he would've spoken to her sooner. With Julie, he wasn't 'Lacrosse Star' or anything, he was just Nick. She treated him like a person and not an accessory. That's probably why he started to like her, and could anyone really blame him? She was Julie, the 'one day will be a superstar' Julie. It made sense.

He enjoyed seeing her perform the most. Not that he hadn't liked watching Carrie - that girl had stage presence coming out of her ears - but with Julie it felt different. She belonged on stage. So, when he got a text saying "Hey, come to my performance?" there was no hesitation as to what he'd answer. Of course Carrie had to show up, though. They were over, why couldn't she see that? After their conversation, she took a moment, then began to speak again.

"Fine, but don't waste your time with Julie."

That threw him for a sec. Surely he couldn't have been that obvious. If he thought about it, he'd remember that she knew him very well and so could just tell, but they weren't together, so why did it matter?

"It's not really any of your business who I 'waste my time' with, Carrie."

"Please, I couldn't care less about who you waste your time with, it's just not worth it."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"She's not interested."

Now that really threw him. Nick thought he was a nice enough guy, if he said so himself. He was polite, he held doors open, he respected boundaries. It's not like the idea of Julie liking him back was _completely_ irrational. If it was anyone else, he might've chalked it up to being a 'jealous ex-girlfriend moment', but Carrie said it with so much confidence, like it was an indisputable fact. She may have been a mean person, but that also meant she was blunt when it came to the truth. That's what left him most dumbfounded, so he just stared at her until she carried on.

"Come on, you're literally watching the same performance I am. You're not blind, just look at them."

And he hated it, but she was right. They sat shoulder to shoulder on the piano bench, looking at each other in a way that made Nick forget the boys were just holograms and Luke wasn't actually there. It felt like he was looking into a private moment, so much so that he almost wanted to stop watching them. The whole 'performance' aspect of the performance melted away, and their singing seemed more like a secret shared between lovers than anything else. He smiled when she smiled. She didn't break eye contact with him until he physically had to disappear for Julie to thank everyone for coming. Suddenly, he realised that Julie hadn't ever looked at him like that. If she had, he would've definitely noticed. Carrie hadn't even looked at him like that. He couldn't let her have the satisfaction of being right.

"So? All good performers have stage chemistry."

"We both know you're not that stupid. Trust me when I say that's not just stage chemistry."

"Again, it's not your business."

"You're right, but don't say I didn't warn you."

And, with a flick of her hair as she turned around, she walked away.

The next day at school, he still tried his luck. It was worth a shot. Maybe Julie had figured that long distance (or so he assumed, because of Luke's 'hologramness') wasn't possible, but when she rejected him, he knew that was just the hope speaking. He didn't even ask her out, just told her he'd planned to. How could he when he'd seen them perform 'Edge of Great' not even 24 hours ago, and then subsequently thought over every performance of theirs he'd seen? How could he when she'd literally called him 'Luke' the other day in dance? Her mind had obviously been somewhere else that day, and now he knew where. He should've pieced it together much earlier than he had. Julie was one-of-a-kind, so it's not surprising if Luke had noticed that. He assumed they spent a lot of time together. Nick thought Luke must be the luckiest guy alive. Anyone could see how great Julie was, so it wouldn't surprise him if Luke thought so, too.

It sucked, but he was happy for them.

* * *

#### Four

To say Alex was the emotional intelligence of the group was an understatement.

So, when Reggie seemed to have picked up on Luke and Julie quicker than he had (albeit marginally), he was stunned. It was the moment Reggie looked back to Alex during 'Finally Free' that gave it away. Alex obviously knew, too. He just didn't have the time to focus on it, not with everything going on. When Reggie brought the topic up to Luke (really, that should've been Alex's job, it always had been), his mind had been elsewhere entirely, 'elsewhere' possibly being a boy with long, brown hair. Nevertheless, It gave him something to focus on, and from then onwards he'd catch onto moments that everyone else seemed to miss. That's why he was the emotional intelligence, after all.

Rehearsals with the band were always fun. Julie would sing a new melody to Alex, he'd try to add a beat to it. Luke would encourage them to brainstorm lyrics with him, saying he was open to 'all ideas'. Reggie would then try, and ultimately fail, to get Luke to listen to his country music.

"Not those ideas. Country isn't a real genre." he'd say, then take out 'Home is Where My Horse is' from his songbook for the millionth time that week, and shove it towards Reggie. It was a tried and tested practice. Alex could practically recite this same fight in his sleep.

"Oh yeah? You ever listened to Carrie Underwood?"

Well this was interesting.

"...Who?"

"'Before He Cheats' is a bop."

"A _what?_ "

"Julie showed me." and with that, he winked at her.

Luke turned to Julie, and if Alex could conjure up popcorn right now, he would. Bit different than the standard 'Home is Where My Horse is' fight. He could tell that Julie could tell that she was in trouble. If there's anything he hated more than Reggie's obsession with country ('truly a disgrace to rock fans all around the globe'), it's enablers of that obsession. Alex suddenly got flashbacks to the one time he faced country-hating Luke's wrath. It somehow sent shivers up his spine, and he didn't even know if that was possible. She threw her hands up in defence.

"I'msorryhefoundanoldCDanditkindofisabop."

Luke stared at her for a second, and everyone braced themselves. Julie shut her eyes, and Alex didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't going to be prett- wait. Was that... _amusement_ in his eyes? Yes, yes it was. Luke broke out into a grin, laughing at the sight of Julie looking like he was about to throw something at her.

"Jeez Jules, relax. I don't even know what that means, and I'm not sure if I want to."

If Luke could ruffle Julie's hair, he probably would've.

She breathed out a sigh of relief, looking a bit embarrassed, and that was... it? He just moved on? Reggie looked confused, as did Julie. Luke sat and went back to jotting down lyrics, unaware of how out of character that was. Julie recovered quickly, and sat down on the piano bench with him, playing around with the keys as he sang the melody. Alex stayed quiet. He knew exactly why Luke didn't overreact like usual. It was _Julie._ Of course he wasn't going to. He couldn't stay mad at her. As Reggie went back to grumbling about his 'masterpiece' of a country sing, Alex continued to silently observe them.

Not very many people could actually see both Luke and Julie, so they'd never be able to see them write. Alex thought that was kind of disappointing, because watching them write music was so fascinating. He'd known Luke forever, and he knew Julie pretty well too, now. They were both driven people, they were both passionate, and they were both extremely talented, so co-writing just worked. Before their death, Luke would write most of the songs on his own. While Reggie and Bobby messed around, Alex would often see him lost in his own world where only his songbook and guitar existed. Now, it seemed as though that world included Julie, too. They bounced ideas off of each other so effortlessly that maybe it was actually two worlds coming together, rather than an extension of one. Their communication consisted mostly of looks, nods and scrunched noses, but each could understand the other perfectly. Julie would play a chord progression, Luke would press down a higher note, and she'd modulate key as if what he meant was obvious. To her, it was. That much was clear. Alex realised pretty quickly that when they wrote, the concept of time became warped. He wasn't kidding when he said they got lost in each other's worlds. He could leave, spend the whole day with Willie, and then come back to see them still sat at the piano. It was kind of sweet, really.

All the times Luke thought no one was paying attention to him (Alex definitely was), he'd look over to Julie. She could be playing with a curl, or experimenting with a piano part, anything at all, but he'd still look at her like she was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. Whenever a strand of hair fell over her face, Alex could see how much Luke longed to be the one to brush it behind her ear. It's no secret Luke's love language was touch, that was apparent to anyone who'd spent more than ten minutes with him. It was a normal thing for Luke to throw an arm over Alex or Reggie, or to bump shoulders with them, or just poke them when he was bored, and Alex saw how frustrated he'd get that he couldn't do any of that with Julie. He kept it pretty well hidden, but Alex could still tell. When Julie thought no one was paying attention to her (again, Alex definitely was), she'd steal glances at Luke. It wasn't the same as what he'd do, he'd just blatantly stare, but she'd watch him put a guitar pick between his teeth, then catch herself and quickly look away, smiling at herself for doing that.

Alex knew just how much they meant to each other, and just because they were star-crossed, it didn't mean it was nothing big.

* * *

#### +1

Julie Molina wasn't oblivious.

However, that didn't mean she wasn't wilfully ignorant. There was no use denying her _tiny_ crush on Luke from Flynn because 1, she could read her like a book, and 2, it was _tiny_ and _harmless._ She wasn't stupid. He's a ghost, of course it was nothing more than a _tiny crush_ that added to their performance as a band. It's also very unlikely that he felt the same way. At least that's what she'd tell herself. 

Even when she could see Flynn watching her with that knowing look in her eyes (that drove her crazy), she knew that she'd get over him. She got over Nick, why was this any different? Sure, she didn't know Nick like she knew Luke, but he also didn't get under her skin like Luke does. All the little things he did to annoy her were bound to add up, and she'd eventually just see him as a friend and bandmate, the way it was meant to be.

The moment Luke stole a song from her dream-box for the third time, she realised she was screwed. She didn't yell, or chase him, or spout another speech about boundaries, she just sighed, smiled and sat down to hear the melody he'd come up with. Luke had clearly braced himself for a rant, so he began defending himself before he'd even seen her reaction. When he realised she hadn't even said a word, he stopped, a dumbfounded expression on his face. It reminded her so much of that time she let Reggie listen to Carrie Underwood that she began to laugh at him. Luke looked exactly as she felt that day. She really should've made the obvious connection then and there, but she chose not to.

"What's so funny?" he said, grinning at her like the goofball he was.

"Nothing," she stopped laughing, but continued to smile, "Come on then, show me the melody."

He didn't need to be told twice. He put the guitar strap over his head, and began to play. She didn't yet know which song he'd chosen, just recognised that it was hers from the stationary, so when he sang the lyrics to one of her unnamed ones, she was surprised. That one wasn't finished. It didn't even have a chorus. It was more of a vent than anything else. She wrote it at two in the morning, kept up by thoughts of Caleb's curse, when she'd realised that she was going to have to let them go. All she thought of was how much she loved them and how much she didn't want to lose them, or the memory of them, and the words spilled onto the page. The band had been one of the best things that had ever happened to her. They were her best friends, alongside Flynn. They brought music back to her, and she felt like she was going to go out of her mind without them there. 

Luke had added to the lyrics, though, and wrote his own chorus.

_Whatever happens_  
_Even if I'm the last standing_  
_I'ma stand tall_  
_I'ma stand tall_

The lines were so simple, but they flipped the entire meaning of the song. He believed she was going to be okay. Even after he knew how she reacted to losing her mom, he still believed she'd be okay. He believed in her, and she allowed herself to admit that her 'tiny crush' wasn't so tiny after all. Maybe it started off like that, when he was just a cute guy who had the same interests as her, but now he was so much more. It made her sad to think of herself as the 'last standing', but she wasn't yet so she chose to not dwell on it. Even after they were gone, at least she'd still have the lyrics they wrote for her. The lyrics _he_ wrote for her. He meant so much to her, and for a second she allowed herself to feel angry at the unfairness of it all. She quickly snapped back to reality after she felt her eyes watering, and watched Luke finish the song. She was glad they were the only two in the studio, because she knew Alex would've noticed immediately.

"What did you think?"

He looked like an excited puppy, and she couldn't help but smile. She had to be okay, especially since he believed in her like that. She had to keep music up, for him. For all of them.

"I really like it. I like the chorus, too."

"Thanks." 

He looked so proud of himself, and it melted her heart. She could see him thinking then, before gesturing for her to sit at the piano.

"I think it would sound great if it started off with just you, singing in the same register as I did just then, but taking it up for the chorus?"

"What's the chords?" she asked, then stretched out her fingers along the piano keys, and tried it out.

They spent the rest of the day working on it.

When they booked the Orpheum gig, there was no doubt as to what they'd be singing first. She and Luke had worked on 'Stand Tall' so much that it was maybe the best song they'd ever written, or at least the one that meant the most. On the night of the performance, when she thought she wouldn't be able to play it with them, she panicked and ran out. This was meant to be the final goodbye, _their_ final performance, not _hers_.

When all hope was lost, she received a Dahlia. She'd gotten the sign she'd asked for, and she remembered how Luke wrote the chorus for her, how much he believed in her to 'stand tall'. She couldn't let both her band and her mom down. She had to do it for them. She may be the last one standing, but that meant their memory lived on in Julie, and she had to sing for them. It was the guys' dream to play The Orpheum, and she knew they'd kill her (somehow) if she didn't.

When Alex joined her on stage, she thought she might cry. She probably would've if she didn't have a performance to focus on. Then, Reggie poofed in, too. Now there was only one missing. Her duet partner, one of her best friends, the guy she was completely head over heels for - Luke. As he flickered in and out, she could see Alex and Reggie worry, but she was sure he'd make it. He'd believed in her, so it was her turn to believe in him. She knew he wouldn't let her down, and he didn't. When he sang his solo, she knew that this was probably their best performance ever.

High off of the energy of the crowd and the applause, Julie went home happy. They may have not had the heartfelt goodbye that she imagined, but they played their last show with her, and that was enough. It just wouldn't feel right if she didn't go to the studio, though. She wanted to bid them farewell on her own. When she heard Reggie's voice, she panicked more than when she thought they'd disappeared. She turned on the lights, and the image of them all in a heap on the floor, in so much pain, broke her heart. She was willing to let them go, but not like this. She was almost happy to help them cross over, but she couldn't just watch them fade out of existence. However, no matter how much she begged or pleaded, they clearly weren't going anywhere, and then she made eye contact with Luke.

He was teary-eyed as he walked over to her. This was the boy who believed in her, who trusted her enough to let her talk to his parents, who had been nothing but kind to her since the day he met her. She didn't know how she could let him go like this. Even as she was practically forcing them to do _something_ , he began to speak.

"No music is worth making, Julie, if we're not making it with you. No regrets."

She didn't know what else to say. He'd trusted her every word, and now she had to trust him in this decision, he was practically begging her to, but it was overwhelming and painful and she just wished she could take it all away. She threw her arms around him, not even giving it a second thought, acting only on instinct. She held him like it was the last time she'd ever get to, and she felt him do the same. It took a second to register that it was also the first time, and then it hit her. She could touch him. Properly. How?

Nothing about this made sense, but as she put her hands to his face and looked him in the eye, everything else did. She shared a smile with him that definitely gave everything away, but she didn't want to hide it anymore. Not when miracles were literally happening right in front of her eyes. She wiped his tears, and he looked at her like there's nowhere else he'd rather be. That's when she knew. All the moments added up in her mind. It was obvious, and Julie wasn't oblivious.

Then, Luke said he felt better, so she interrupted the moment and reached for Alex and Reggie. She held them like their lives depended on it, and that's because they did. She could swear that she'd never felt happier than she did in that moment. This was her band, they were her boys (some in different ways than others). She didn't know what this meant for them, but it didn't matter right now. She was just happy that she wasn't going to lose them today.

She made eye-contact with Luke as she thought that, and she was so relieved that she wasn't going to lose him.

They still had a moment to finish, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Title From: 'Corduroy Dreams' by Rex Orange County.
> 
> I know people love that Luke and Reggie scene where Alex is like 'no' but I reworked it to fit the fic, sorryyyyyy.


End file.
